ChrisB wrote:Sorry, still off topic. But RRCs on Corsica are something to look (and hear) forward to. This seems to be a particularly tricky corner on Mille Miglia. I think result there was a combination of Basso's excellence and Andreucci & Hänninen both having troubles. Further I feel on this video Basso's RRC sounds really good. I never liked S2000s for they sound high pitch, a bit like struggling engines, while Basso RRC here proves turbos do not have to sound like just spluttering around.

Bouffier & Campana on Corsica in 207s are both surprises. Campana simply as I would have expected him in the Drive Pro Mini. Drive Pro enters Sordo and Drive Pro has two Minis: C014 / FP03 PRO, which Alex Bengué used as course opening car on Corsica last year (after Ari did a Vatanen on SS6) and C018 / FP04 PRO, which Campana used so far. They have two cars and they are on Corsica, so...?

Bouffier is a surprise that he is there at all. Kind of shows the state of Peugeot Sport. First IRC round Bouffier and Magalhaes were there. Latest I heard is that Bouffier actually bought a 207 S2000 for himself, and it is the ex Magalhaes car!!!!

I too think Basso could have won. And Neuville if PSA entered him. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy about Mini's success. It is also in a way nice for IRC: 4 rallies 4 different winners and here 3 different makes of car on the podium. When was the last time we had that in WRC?

But this is a repeat of Hirvonen in Monte. Now the WRC "clapping their own shoulders" guys think once more how easy the IRC is, when in reality Sordo had to fight and needed Basso and Mikkelsen to run into problems before he could even take the lead!

I am quite surprised how different the two S20001600T cars were. I think Basso's Fiesta was the best sounding car in the hole field, while Sordo's Mini JCW SPC HGV Turbo, if onboard or outside, looked and sounded like watching paint dry. The HGV is not far off the mark, most HGV lorries don't rev higher than 2000rpm as well!

ChrisB wrote:I am quite surprised how different the two S20001600T cars were. I think Basso's Fiesta was the best sounding car in the hole field, while Sordo's Mini JCW SPC HGV Turbo, if onboard or outside, looked and sounded like watching paint dry. The HGV is not far off the mark, most HGV lorries don't rev higher than 2000rpm as well!

Sordo won, so he did a perfect job. But as often with WRC guys in the past he didn't win many stages. It is a little hard to quanitfy however as he was running a different spec of car which is why it is so irritating that Basso went out through no fault of his own.

About the sounds, I half agree... I think the Mini actually sounds quite good outside but I totally agree the onboards are dreadful. It would probably be more spectacular watching me drive to Tesco. Whether you like S2000 cars or not, at least on the inside they sound and look like they are being driven hard. I hope the bigger restrictor with R5/R4T helps these cars become more entertaining than the 1.6T S2000s because otherwise I think I might lose interest in IRC sadly...

You might be right here, Ron, as Sordo's Mini was mostly shown onboard, while of Basso's Fiesta my first impression was outside. I thought the Basso Fiesta sounds really great, it sounded more monster to be tamed like and not so high pitch exhausted engine, but too little seen of it on Corsica for a proper judgement. Sordo onboard was dreadful, like someone whiz by in a Prius! But then on last year's Rallye Deutschland from outside and with much larger air restrictor, the Mini WRC sounded quite good. Not exciting like the old Quattro or the gA Impreza 555 or Escort Cosworth, but better than the S2000s. So I think with R45 there is hope.

And yes, not only for the sound and comparing onboards, Basso's exit was a catastrophy! When I talk of Neuville earlier, well he wasn't there, but judging by his stage times until exit, I think Basso could have given Sordo a run for his money more than anybody else. Not only for comparing Fiesta RRC with S2000s, I think except Mikkelsen the strongest drivers were in the turbos. Kopecky did a fantastic last few stages, but he still seems to be lacking the consistency. Not even to talk against Kopecky, I love it when in rallying there are events with different favourites, but especially Kopecky surprises ever again with varying form. On leg3 he won 5 out of 6 stages, fantastic, but on the one he didn't win he lost a full 17s to Campana without having any explanation for it.

DS3 R3T makes 230 HP on race petrol. That is with a 29mm restrictor. 32mm should be about 270-290 HP. 33-34mm would be about 300-320 HP, depending on the fuel and restrictor size. I believe R5 will used a tuned R3T engine with more power and a 32mm restrictor to give it S2000/RRC like power. I would not mind seeing a R5 tuned even further as an alternative to WRC.

Sulland wrote:Turbo engines sounds boring compared to a NA engine, end of story!!

Best sounding rally cars of all time: gB Audi Quattro, gA Impreza 555, gA Celica GT4, gA Escort Cosworth. That is followed up by a few more turbo- and supercharged cars, and then come V8s and V6s, like TR7, SD1, Stratos, then there is N-GT cars and then I have still not arrived at 4-pot atmos! If turbos today don't sound good, it is not the turbo that is wrong but the tech rules!